Lift with your head: the other 90% of my brain
In the past I have viewed exercise as a chore. Repetitive weight lifting and mindless jogs on a treadmill were never my idea of fun. But I still have cancer in my brain–so I need to do something to feel like I am fighting back. I strongly believe in the power of advocacy as an important...
Traveling with brain cancer and epilepsy
I just returned from a trip to Rome! (Hence the lack of posts.) Yay! It was my first time out of the country, except for a day trip I took to Tijuana when I was seven. But that doesn’t count. And like any responsible person with a significant medical condition who will be traveling out of...
Over-thinking everything
Yesterday evening I was overwhelmed with a significant feeling of déjà vu. According to Wikipedia, déjà vu is the experience of feeling sure that one has already witnessed or experienced a current situation, even though the exact circumstances of the previous encounter are uncertain and were perhaps imagined. What creeps me out about the déjà vu is that I...
Purposeful sleep deprivation
Have you ever had an EEG? I haven’t. But tomorrow morning at 6:45 I will. And to prep for it I can only sleep four hours! From midnight until 4, in fact. Why? The more exhausted you are, there is more of a chance you will have a seizure. That is so messed up. This...
This is what cute looks like: engaged with brain cancer
There is much going on in my world right now. I am tired. And the seizure drugs (and the lasting impact of chemotherapy) leaves me with a cloud above my head. My physical body feels much like Pig Pen‘s dust cloud–but instead of being surrounded by dirt I am surround by a fog keeping me...
What is family?
There’s a guy I know who thinks he’s old. I don’t think he’s old, but he certainly knows a lot of things. He’s a well educated man (now practicing law from a home office) who wakes up each day around 4 in the morning, works out on his exercise bike, then drinks coffee and reads...
Maintenance
About a month ago I thought a mystery had been solved regarding my body tremors. (See: Mystery solved.) In a nutshell, the tremors were due to my increase in taking the anti-epileptic medication Depakote. I was advised on a new way to take the medication and I was relieved to have a solution. Two and a half...
’80s dance party in the operating room
I just finished a pre-op appointment with Dr. Z, orthopedic surgeon and all-around good guy. After going through the details of the surgery he asked me if I had questions. I asked all the usual things one in my situation should ask (“What if I start seizing during surgery?” etc.) and then asked if he...
Cancer-versary
Happy cancer-versary to me. It was on this day last year that I was “officially” informed, in person, by my neurosurgeon that I did indeed have a cancerous brain tumor. (Unlike many brain cancer peeps, my tumor was surrounded in controversy.) Here I am one year later, relatively seizure-free, fully functional, taking Temodar. And oh...
I think, therefore I am
My brain is having its photo taken tomorrow via MRI. I will be having MRIs every two months over the next year as I continue to take Temodar (chemo). I have been on this drug for five months, have been relatively symptom free (i.e., seizures are under control), and I am excited to see what...
Moving on
I haven’t written much lately but that doesn’t mean things aren’t happening. In fact, many things are keeping me busy. For one, I am looking for work. Who knew looking for work would take so much work? I have some leads but I’m not going to mention anything specific until something pans out. I got...
